Swords flew through the portal before Xix had any time to react. She had no time to close it. She had no time to place a shield around her people. She was lucky that they had learnt to expect the unknown, people jumping away from the flying blades. She was about to sigh in relief at how no one had been hit when a scream came from further in the crowd.

She pushed her way through the circle of people standing around a woman on the floor. Xix's hands clasped over her mouth as she fell to her knees at the sight of who had been hit. Iris. A young child crawled over to the fallen woman and hugged her as Ivy attempted to heal Iris' wound. Her power was not strong enough. The wound was too deep.

Xix took her girlfriend's hands as her head lolled and her eyelids drooped. The dark blood of their people was pooling around her. "Come on, babe," Xix urged her with a desperate laugh. "It's not that bad." She pushed Iris' hair out of her eyes gently. "Y-You'll be fine once we get home. Our healers would have recovered by then and –"

"No," Iris breathed. "You know it's too late." She squeezed her hand. "You have to get our people home without me."

Xix could no longer stop tears from falling down her cheeks. No doubt there was a clear line in the dirt that covered her. "I can't," she cried. "I promised to take you home. I promised."

"I am home," Iris whispered. "Don't you remember what we always say?"

Xix nodded, grasping her hand tighter.

"Good." Her girlfriend managed a tired small. "You need to find your sister. She will help you." She lifted her other hand, brushing it down Xix's cheek and catching the stray tears. "You know I'm always right next to you. You know that. You know . . ."

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Xix leaned down to kiss her girlfriend's lips one more time. "From stardust we were born. To stardust we return." Her power turned Iris' body to dust, leaving only a sword standing upright on its own. She managed to push herself to her feet, swaying slightly. "We have to keep moving." She did not know if she said it to herself or to her people.

It did not matter.

She begun to push her way back to the front of the crowd and led the others onwards. She could not hide the silent tears from the loss of her girlfriend. Find your sister. Xix had no sister. A half-sister, yes. That she did have. Was that what Iris meant. To find her? She had no idea how she was supposed to do that. She had seen her half-sister die many years ago. She doubted the girl even knew she had existed back then or had been there in her final moments. That had been the agreement between Xix's parents. Neither girl was supposed to meet no mater what. Of course, that made her even more curious about the other girl. The apparently light to her dark.

Xix was surprised she could remember so far back, considering how old she was. She would never admit her true age to anyone or that she had been ten at the time of her half-sister's death. On that night so long ago. She knew how to find the girl, but not what to do after that. She could hardly go up and proclaim herself as sister to the rest of her family. The thought of what would happen was almost brought a smile to her face. One part of her thought it was time to introduce herself. No, the rest of her said. Your people come first. She knew that part of her was right. Her people had been through so much.

She stopped walked at a crest overlooking a valley. The portal had been on target. They had managed to jump into another universe. They had run through the space between the worlds to their home; to where their people had escaped to. That was how far away their prison had been. As Xix and her people ran towards the city, she had the strangest feeling that Iris was watching her from somewhere out in the stars.